Imports of Cereal Year. 



193 



The accounts indicate no interruption to the growth of our 

 consumption of foreign bacon and hams, which has been 

 steadily rising for some years. The United States was as 

 usual responsible for the greater part of the increase of 

 550,000 cwts. in these imports, the total contributions from 

 American ports in the past year having been 6,092,000 cwts. 

 as compared with 5,657,000 cwts in 1897-98; Denmark sent 

 1,126,000 cwts. against 999,000 cwts. in the preceding twelve 

 months ; and Canada furnished 597,000 cwts., this quantity 

 being slightly over her contribution of 1897-98. 



With the exception of oats all kinds of grain were imported 

 in larger quantities during the past cereal year than in 1897- 

 98. The receipts of wheat and wheat meal and flour 

 represented in wheat grain a gross importation of 23,060,000 

 imperial quarters of 480 lbs. as compared with 21,961,000 

 quarters in 1897-98 and 21,660,000 quarters in 1896-97. About 

 two-thirds of the total quantity received at our ports in the 

 past twelve months consisted of consignments from, the United 

 States amounting in all to 14,864,000 quarters, of which,, 

 roughly, two-filths came in the form of flour. Of the remaining 

 8,196,000 quarters, India is credited with just under one-fourth; 

 Argentina furnished 1,700,000 quarters, or nearly double her 

 contribution of the previous year; Canada sent 2,293,000 

 quarters ; and Russia accounted for 767,000 quarters, this 

 being the smallest entry of Russian wheat recorded for many 

 years. The last-named country was responsible for fifty per 

 cent, of the importation of barley, of which we received from 

 all sources 6,403,000 quarters, or 730,000 quarters more than 

 last year. Attention has been directed on a former occasion 

 to the considerable quantities of maize now consumed in this 

 country, our annual import of this grain having exceeded 

 fifty million cwts. in each of the past three years. For the 

 greater part of this large supply we are indebted to the 

 United States, whence Ave usually obtain about two-thirds^ 

 and sometimes a larger proportion, of the imports of maize. 

 The gross quantity entered in the Trade Accounts of the past 

 cereal year, viz., 57,500,000 cwts., was exceeded by the imports 

 of 1896-97, when the entries amounted to 59,726,000 cwts. 

 Our imports of oats were on a lower scale than in 1897-98,. 



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